Paws Down!
March 21, 2020
Unfortunately, HB20-1084 did not pass the House Rural Affairs and Agriculture Committee.
At the beginning of 2020, Colorado Representative Monica Duran and Senator Mike Foote introduced HB20-1084, known as the Humane Pet Act, with the hopes to increase protection for animals who are bred by commercial breeders. This bill aimed to limit the number of animals a breeder could have, along with the number of times these animals could be bred in their lifespan. The bill did not pass. Some felt it was unnecessary due to the Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act (PACFA) that was already in place.
So what is PACFA?
PACFA is an inspection program implemented by the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) that was established in 1994 to help protect animals individuals acquire for pets. According to PACFA, pet animals are “dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, rats, gerbils, ferrets, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates, or any other species of wild or domestic or hybrid animal sold, transferred, or retained for the purpose of being kept as a household pet.” (Livestock is exempt from this section.) This program is overseen by Colorado’s Commissioner of Agriculture with the aid of a 17 member advisory committee.
Is PACFA a reliable program?
In 2015, PACFA was audited by the Colorado Office of the State Auditor, where findings showed regular inspections were not given, and 19% of the licensed facilities were overdue. One of those facilities was deemed High risk requiring inspections every 6 months, but it was late by 28 months. One of the reasons for this inadequacy is Colorado’s vast region that is broken into five territories. For example, in Exhibit 2.5, an inspector responsible for the western part of Colorado will have more ground to cover than one responsible for the middle area. Another finding was complaint inspections were not conducted promptly, and better oversight of inspectors and their documentation of inspections using the USAHERDS database needed to be improved due to its limited functionality.
(Source: Adapted from the Colorado Office of the State Auditor’s Report #1418P)
Colorado’s Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) reviewed PACFA in 2018 and found some improvement since the audit in 2015. However, DORA still felt that more improvements were needed to adequately monitor the licensed facilities in Colorado by employing more inspectors. At that time, only seven inspectors were employed to help oversee around 2,500 facilities. Findings from the audit and review confirm that PACFA plays an essential role in increasing the protection for animals within the state–due to minimal protection from the Animal Welfare Act–but improvements were necessary to operate effectively.
Is PACFA enough?
Currently, there are 2,220 animal facilities licensed through PACFA, and 266 of those are animal breeders. Do you feel that the passage of the Humane Pet Act would have been unnecessary? If you are a Colorado resident and agree that more requirements should be put into place to safeguard the well-being of pet animals, please contact your legislator today!
